Recommends

Unlike the American behemoths of Warner Bros., Paramount or Disney, England's Ealing Studios inspires genuine affection from film fans around the globe. The studio is inextricable from some of the classics of British cinema, from Passport to Pimlico (1949) to The Ladykillers (1955), and its films stood for community spirit, British pluck and decency. Ealing was far from Britain's most lucrative studio – Rank was much bigger, HAMMER considerably more profitable, and in fact, only one Ealing title (The Blue Lamp) is listed among the biggest-ever hits at the UK Box Office – but the Ealing name became synonymous with quality, and a distinct idea of Britishness. Predating not just Pinewood and Elstree but the entirety of the Hollywood studios, it stands as the oldest continual hub of filmmaking in the world.

Ealing Studios' story began when producer Will Barker bought the plot at Ealing in 1902, moving his Autoscope Company across London from Stamford Hill. Then, in 1929, two of England's best-known producers, Basil Dean and Reginald Baker, came on board and opened the distribution outlet. During this time, the studios produced a number of vaudeville-style musical comedies as well as feature films, along with information films for the British Ministry of Information during the late 1930s and early 1940s. In the decade following the war, Ealing became well-known for its comedies, starting in 1949 with Passport to Pimlico and Kind Hearts and Coronets – the latter of which made Alec Guinness an international star, forever linking his name with Ealing Studios.

In 1955, the studio was sold to the BBC, but remained in use for filming inserts for BBC hits and HAMMER titles such as Doctor Who and Quatermass and the Pit (1967). Like HAMMER studios, which itself has been revived since the mid-2000s, Ealing resumed releasing films under its own name in 2000, and saw major releases such as Shaun of the Dead, Last Night in Soho and The Imitation Game filmed on their lots.

Ealing's position in British cinema history stands unrivalled, for both its rich legacy of quality film and its distinct way of tapping into a specific cultural consciousness. This mini-season of Ealing classics celebrates the golden era of Ealing films, from its greatest comedies to its bold explorations into genre cinema.

THE LINE-UP

Went the Day Well?
From 15 Oct   |   Book Now

Went the Day Well? was released before Christmas in 1942, relatively early in producer Michael Balcon's pioneering leadership of Ealing Studios. Adapted from a story by English novelist Graham Greene, Went the Day Well? served as unofficial propaganda for the British war effort and was a rare foray into darker material for Ealing; set during the Second World War, a rural English village is infiltrated by German paratroopers masquerading as British soldiers. As the plucky villagers uncover the plot, they must fight back and find a way to contact the real British army. Part paranoid thriller, part propaganda and part subversive commentary, Went the Day Well? reflected the worst nightmare of the British public at the time, taking a bucolic British image and upending it with surprisingly brutal violence.

The Ladykillers
From 22 Oct   |   Book Now

Starring Ealing stalwart Alec Guinness alongside Cecil Parker, Peter Sellers and Katie Johnson, The Ladykillers is a quintessential example of Ealing's output during the 1950s. This is a slickly-told black comedy, written by William Rose – who claimed to have summoned the entire film during a dream, needing only to remember the details when he awoke. The details feature a motley gang of criminals who use the rented rooms of an old woman's boarding house as their base to plot a bank robbery; when the eccentric landlady becomes bothersome to their plans, the crooks reluctantly decide to kill her. In his nine years at Ealing Studios, director Alexander MacKendrick would helm some of their finest films: Whiskey Galore! (1949), The Man in the White Suit (1951), and The Ladykillers (1955). The film was remade in 2004 by the Coen brothers, but MacKendrick's original remains unparalleled.

Dead of Night
From 29 Oct   |   Book Now

Dead of Night is a rare example of a British horror film from the 1940s, thanks to the nationwide ban on horror productions during WWII. A striking and influential chiller from Ealing Studios, Dead of Night is told with the wry humour that the studio would become known for during the '50s. The film is told in an anthology format, opening with an architect being summoned to a country house. Once there he is greeted by several guests, all of whom have featured in a reoccurring dream of his, and what follows is tales of ghostly encounters and strange premonitions as each guest tells their own scary story of the uncanny. Dead of Night is perhaps best known now for its chilling final segment, featuring Michael Redgrave as a ventriloquist who is convinced his dummy is alive.

From beloved classics to unearthed gems, reintroduce yourself to the best films of yesterday with reDiscover — be that last decade, or last century. reDiscover is free for Picturehouse Members, and all tickets are just £8.